A/N – Anyone still out there reading? If there is then I send you hugs, and ever lasting thanks! I just couldn't think of what to write in this chapter, but I'm sure you'll agree that it was well worth that wait. XD
Chapter Four: What's Wrong With Me?
"Hey guys!" Sakura called as she and Kakashi approached the rest of Team Seven.
"There you guys are," Naruto said, "Come on, let's get going!"
"Why are you two coming together?" Sasuke asked.
"Oh, Kakashi had stopped by my place to make sure I was packing in good time," Sakura answered, smiling.
Sasuke and Naruto both looked to Kakashi, who shrugged with a laugh. Sasuke and Naruto glanced at each other, shrugged, and turned towards the gates of Konoha.
After about half an hour, the group was traveling through a thick forest. They kept their eyes and ears open, as usual, for signs of an enemy approaching. Today, however, it was sound of an enemy that came to their ears.
"What is that?" Naruto asked idiotically, as whimpers, and barks were heard from within the surrounding forest.
"Is that smoke?" Sakura asked, her keen eyes picking up on the small billow cloud that was raising from the bushes off to their left.
"Could it be a fire?" Sasuke asked.
"Wait here, I'll check it out," Kakashi said, and he disappeared from his spot, and reappeared closer to the smoke, "Yeah, there's a small cliff here and the forest below has caught fire!"
Sakura, and the rest of Team Seven made their way over to their Sensei, and they all peered down over the cliff. Like Kakashi had told them, the forest below the cliff was on fire. They looked at Kakashi, in completely truth they weren't allowed to stop to put out the fire; they were on a mission.
"Sensei, we can't just let this whole forest burn to the ground, and what about the dog?" Sakura asked, she stained her ears to hear the barks and whimpers, but they seemed to have disappeared, "I can't hear it anymore."
"Calm down, I'm sure it's fine," Kakashi assurred her.
"Hey, is that it?" Naruto asked pointing down the cliff to a tiny clearing where they could just make out the form of a golden lab laying on it's side.
"Oh no, we have to help it," Sakura exclaimed, and her heart being bigger then her mind at the moment, she decended the cliff in record time.
"Sakura! Get back here!" Kakashi called, but his words were lost to the wind as his female student was engulfed by the forest.
"What should we do, Sensei?" Naruto asked, glancing over at him.
"Stay here," Kakashi said, "That fire could engulfe that forest at any moment, and don't go thinking it can't, I've seen fire do crazier things, believe me."
With that Kakashi jumped down into the forest below, racing to find Sakura. He didn't like the idea of her being so close to fire, it almost, dare he think it, scared him.
Obito, I swear I will keep my promise to you!
Kakashi burst through a thick patch of trees to find Sakura kneeling beside the dog, doing her best to heal it's main wounds.
"Sakura!" Kakashi called, and rushed over to her.
"Shhhh," Sakura said, trying hard to concertrate her chakra.
"Don't 'shh' me Sakura!" Kakashi spoke in a stern voice, making Sakura look up in surprise; he'd never used that kind of tone with her before.
"But..."
"No 'buts', we have to go now," Kakashi said, and he took her hand and pulled her to her feet.
"The dog..."
Kakashi sighed, dropping Sakura's hand now that she was upright, he bent down and picked the dog up in his arms, "Let's get out of here, then you can heal him."
Sakura was hesitant, but quickly nodded, and the two made their way to the cliff where Naruto, and Sasuke were waiting for them.
The two reached the cliff, but the fire was starting to do what Kakashi had predicted. It was spreading, fast.
"Come on!" Kakashi said to Sakura and began to jump up the cliff, from rock to rock.
Sakura followed, but she soon realized she'd used too much chakra trying to heal the dog. She couldn't keep up with Kakashi's pace, and she was slipping clumsily on almost every rock she jumped to. Kakashi seemed to realize Sakura wasn't close behind him, and turned to check. He quickly came back to her and crouch before her, Sakura didn't even think twice, and climbed onto his back, locking her arms around his neck. Sakura could feel the heat of the fire below on her legs and upper body, although her arms were surprisingly a netural tempature.
"Sensei...why am I...feeling so...weak..." Sakura asked, as her eyes threatened to shut, she was sure she hadn't used that much of her chakra.
"Stay awake, Sakura!" Kakashi's booming voice ordered.
Sakura opened her eyes fully, but they didn't stay that way long. They began to droop closed, and Sakura was having a difficult time just keeping her grip on Kakashi. Kakashi of course had no grip on her since his arm were ocuppied with the injured dog.
"I can't..." Sakura whispered, as her grip reached its limits.
"Hold on, Sakura, were at the top," Kakashi said, his was about a jump and a half away from where Naruto, and Sasuke watched fearfully.
"I'm...sorry..." Sakura breathed, and her hands slipped from around her sensei's neck, and her eyes fell closed, and her body plummeted to the firey forest below.
"SAKURA!" Kakashi shouted, as her body disappeared.
Kakashi dumped the dog onto the small ledge he'd been standing on and jumped down to find Sakura, praying the fall hadn't killed her.
"Sakura-chan!!!" Naruto screamed in horror as his beloved teammate fell.
"Sakura!" Sasuke shouted, a little more calmly then his blond friend.
Naruto began calming down, and approached the cliff, when Sasuke grabbed his arm.
"Sensei's got enough to worry about, without you going down there, too!" Sasuke said.
"I'm just getting the dog," Naruto explained, and he jumped down to the ledge where the dog lay, he picked it up and jumped back to where Sasuke stood.
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Kakashi dashed through the trees, trying to find Sakura, "Sakura!? Can you hear me?"
Kakashi then spotted a familar stream of pink hair. He rushed over and found Sakura sitting on her knees, he knelt beside her, and gave her body a quick scan. One of her arms were red with burn, but other then a few scratches, she looked unharmed.
"Sakura, come on," Kakashi said, reaching out to pick her up.
"Kakashi sensei?" Sakura spoke slowly.
"What is it, Sakura?" Kakashi spoke quickly.
"What's wrong with me?" Sakura asked quietly.
"What...do you mean...?" Kakashi was slow to comment.
Sakura lifted her gaze to the burning tree before her, then she took her hand an pressed it to the blazing bark. She didn't finch, she didn't gasp, she didn't recoil in anyway.
"Sakura..." Kakashi said.
"Answer me," Sakura said.
"...I don't know," Kakashi lied.
Sakura sighed, and took her hand away from the trees burning trunk, "I can't stand up."
Kakashi wondered for a minute about whether or not she was serious, or if it was just because she want someone to take care of her. Kakashi shook it off, and knelt down. He carefully picked her up, and starting back to Naruto, and Sasuke. Within seconds, Sakura was crying into his chest. He had been right, she had only wanted someone to hold on to, to be near her.
Kakakshi reached the cliff, and this time having a good grip on Sakura, scaled the it quickly, and landing softly beside Naruto who's face was streamed with tears. The dog that had been saved seemed to have regained it's senses and was standing obiediently beside Naruto. Sasuke looked as though he wanted to ask something, but his pride wouldn't let him. Of course, Kakashi knew the question without it being spoken.
"She's fine," Kakashi said, "Just a little shook up."
"Man, Sakura, you scared the living day lights out of me," Naruto spoke when he noticed Sakura's eyes were open.
Sakura didn't respond, she just clutched Kakashi vest in her hand, and stayed silent.
"It seems she can't walk," Kakashi explained, when Naruto looked from him to Sakura, and back again.
"Oh," Naruto said, in a dawning voice.
"Come on, we should head back," Kakashi said, getting up and turning to go back to Konoha.
"WHAT!?" Naruto shouted, "We can't go back! We have a mission to complete."
"Naruto we-" Kakashi tried to reason with his student.
"No! We haven't failed a mission before, and we're not starting, now!"
"But, Sakura-"
"It's okay," Sakura whispered, "I can't continue, my foot just got twisted a bit. I can try walking on it."
Sakura slowly wiggled out of Kakashi's arms, and stood on the ground, wobbling slightly, "See, I'm fine."
Kakashi sighed, knowing he couldn't win the current fight, "Okay, then lets just set up camp for today. By morning Sakura should be completely healed of her...twisted ankle."
"What about the fire?" Naruto asked.
"Can you not see those clouds, idiot?" Sasuke said, pointing to the dark clouds that were hovering in the sky above.
"Oh, okay then...how are we going to stay out of the rain?" Naruto asked.
"I'm sure there's a cave, or someplace we can stay the night," Kakashi said.
The others nodded in understanding, and went off in search of such a place. After a while, they heard the barks of their new found dog friend and they dicovered that it had found a deep cave behind a waterfall in the depths of the forest.
"Hey, good job, doggie!" Naruto eclaimed, and he stroked the dogs fur in gratitude, the dog barked happily.
"What are we going to do with it?" Sakura asked.
"Naruto, you know we can't take it with us," Kakashi said, knowing that was what his student was planning.
"Why not?" Naruto asked, "Kiba has Akumaru that he takes on missions, why can't I have a dog, too?"
"Akumaru is trained to be a ninja dog, this one isn't," Kakashi explained.
Naruto pouted, as he sat down in the cave. The others walked in and found their own little spots, Kakashi leaned against the wall by the enterance, Sasuke sat back against the wall at the far back of the cave, Naruto stayed where he was at the side wall, the dog's head resting in his lap. Sakura went and stood by Kakashi at the enterance, as the first drops of rain started coming down.
A/N – I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I know I sure enjoyed writing it! Ha ha! Well, until next time, please review!